D-Link DI-604 4-port Broadband Router

The D-Link DI-604 4-port Broadband Ethernet Router is an essential piece of equipment for anyone who is networking up to 4
home PCs and/or connecting any or all of them to the internet via a broadband (DSL or cable modem) connection.

The DI-604 has at least two functions. First it's a router/switch. This means it can route traffic from any PC connected to it to any other PC connected to it (up to 4 in total), plus it can route internet traffic to and from any of the 4 connected PCs. This means that a single broadband connection can be shared by up to 4 PCs and all the PCs can be tied together in a local area network. The D1-604 will run at either 10MB/s or 100Mb/s depending on the speed of the ethernet cards in the PC. It will automatically select the highest speed.

The DI-604 is also acts as a firewall. This is a device that sits between your PC and the internet and controls the traffic between the two. It prevents unauthorized access to your PC by malicious systems which probe for unused TCP/IP ports. It can also filter traffic by IP, URL or domain if you so choose to do so.

Since this is a photography site not a computer geek site, I won't do into more details of operation, but I will say that I've been using this router for the last two months to network 3 PCs (Windows 2000 and Windows XP) and connect them to the internet via a broadband cable modem. It's been on for 24hrs/day, 7/days a week and never glitched once. The price is only $34.99 from Amazon and it qualifies for free shipping. Through May 1st 2005 there is also a $10 mail-in rebate making the final cost $24.99. For such a useful accessory, that's a real bargain. Highly recommended.